New research on the UK’s near one million young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) reveals three in five (58%) have never had a paid job.  

As ONS data show the proportion of 16–24-year-olds in the UK who are neither earning or learning has risen to 13%, researchers from Learning and Work Institute (L&W) warn that this could both harm their life prospects and have a wider scarring effect on economic growth and society. 

Once a young person has been NEET for a sustained period of time, researchers have revealed it is much harder for them to get back on track: worryingly, the data show that almost half (48%) of young people are still not in education, employment or training a year after they first become NEET. 

Updating its flagship Youth Opportunity Index, L&W also reveals that progress towards the Labour Government’s mission to “break down barriers to opportunity” still depends on where a young person lives. NEET rates are nearly twice as high in Wales (15%) and the North East (16%) as they are in London (9%) and the South East (10%), and 16 of the 20 best areas for youth opportunities are in London.  

The Government is implementing a ‘Youth Guarantee’ for 18-21-year-olds across eight trailblazer areas in England following recommendations from L&W. Researchers behind this latest analysis contend that this rollout of guaranteed support to find a job, training or education place or apprenticeship will need to reflect the diversity of the young people who are not currently participating in the labour market, and the differing opportunities available to them locally. It is also likely to need greater investment given the rising number of NEETs, including action to boost youth apprenticeships which have fallen by more than one third since 2017. 

The research is part of wider work L&W is doing, including in partnership with Youth Futures Foundation, to inform the rollout of the Youth Guarantee.